Opening Reception: "Photographs from the Walter and Sally Rugaber Collection"

Opening Reception: "Photographs from the Walter and Sally Rugaber Collection"

Wednesday, February 20, 6 pm

Eleanor D. Wilson Museum, Richard Wetherill Visual Arts Center

From their private art collection, Walter and Sally Rugaber are loaning the Wilson Museum 40 black-and-white original photographs that have become icons of American art. These works provide a visual record of urban and rural American life from the late 19th century through the onset of World War II. Lewis Hine and photographers hired through the Farm Security Administration documented labor conditions and poverty, which resulted in the need for New Deal programs. This exhibit emphasizes the documentation of the American condition and history of photojournalism through the photographs that shaped governmental policy and addressed societal concerns. Featured FSA photographers include Walker Evans, Ben Shahn, Dorothea Lange, Marion Post Wolcott, Russell Lee, and others. Guests will be encouraged to consider landmark events in the 20th and 21st centuries. This exhibition is sponsored in part by the City of Roanoke through the Roanoke Arts Commission.

Exhibit through April 28. Hours are Tuesday through Sunday from Noon-5 pm, with extended evening hours on Thursday until 8 pm.